Following day 4 finals at the 2016 FINA Short Course World Championships in Windsor, Canada, Team USA and Russia have maintained their top 2 spots in the medal count, while Japan has moved up into 3rd.

Tonight, Andrew made the transition from national age group and world junior records to a world champion by defeating 100m IM world record holder Vlad Morozov. Andrew pushed over the last 10-meters to emerge victorious in a time of 51.84.

There have been two men’s breaststroke events so far at the 2014 U.S. National Championships, and twice in prelims the U.S. Open Record, meaning the fastest swim ever on American soil, has gone down.

On Friday morning, University of Penn alum Brendan McHugh represented for the Ivy Leagues and broke the U.S. Open Record in the men’s 50 breaststroke with a 27.10. He swam out of the second-to-last heat, and the time stood up to Kevin Cordes, who broke the same record over 200 meters earlier in this meet, a heat later.

McHugh, who is representing the Greater Philadelphia Aquatic Club at this meet, is part of a growing class of male breaststrokers who were solid in college, and as post grads have been able to make breakthroughs. SwimSwam’s Jared Anderson, who also made the A-Final in the 50 breaststroke, falls into that same category, as does Brad Craig, who was the fastest American in the 100 breaststroke in 2014 coming into this meet.

McHugh’s previous best in the 50 breaststroke was a 28.23; in 2012, he swam a 1:01.04 in the 100 breaststroke, and if he can drop a similar amount in the 100 as he did in the 50, just over a full second, he’s got a very good chance at making the Pan Pacs team in that event and possibly even breaking a minute.

That broke the old Championships Record and U.S. Open Record set by Kevin Steel in 27.26 at last year’s meet. Steel didn’t swim the event on Friday. The American Record is a 26.86 done by Mark Gangloff at Worlds in Rome in 2009.

It must be really fun for post-grads, who are probably continuing to train just because they enjoy it, to come to a big meet like this and get a best time! Now Brendan might end up swimming at a World Championships, get a sponsor and have the chance to continue his career! Good luck!

I saw his race, and his stroke is very different from Kevin’s, all pwer and quickness without much glide. I hope he has the endurance to continue that stroke, maybe slightly elongated, for 100m!

Enjoy being a PanPac/World Champ’s Trial finalist Jared!

Vote Up

0

0

Vote Down Reply

2 years 4 months ago

About Braden Keith

The most common question asked about Braden Keith is "when does he sleep?" That's because Braden has, in two years in the game, become one of the most prolific writers in swimming at a level that has earned him the nickname "the machine" in some circles.
He first got his feet …